Thursday, February 4, 2010

See that cute, chubby, little bundle of all-boy joy sitting on my lap? He grew up.

He grew taller. Thinned out. Got teeth. Lost teeth. Grew bigger teeth. Needs braces. Got glasses. Picks out his own clothes. Earns straight A's. Wishes he was taller, but guards his guy on the b-ball court with a determination that makes up for what he lacks in size (no one Justone guards scores a point). Wants an Austin Collie jersey before the Superbowl, badly. Knows more about electricity than I do. Recently fixed the automatic door on the minivan when the problem stumped me and dad was away. Doesn't sit on my lap anymore. Wouldn't accompany me to the school's mother-son *dance because my dancing "would embarrass him" and "it would be more fun to go bowling with you, Mom."

How and when did all that happen? I've been awake, haven't I?

Well, happen it did. But, I was glad to discover recently that some things haven't changed.

This week, for Family Home Evening, I borrowed an idea from Shawni at Life. (Shawni has lots of great ideas. Thanks, Shawni, for sharing them!) After reading some passages from the Bible about love, and discussing how important it was to love others and let them know how much and why we love them, we made our own "heart attack". We wrote down on paper hearts--construction paper, made by my daughters earlier that day--reasons why we loved one another. A heart for each reason, that we posted all over the kitchen to enjoy until Valentine's Day.

Superkid drew pictures. I wrote paragraphs. The Bionic Man wrote short statements that meant a lot. Endeavor was careful to make sure that her reasons were warm and thoughtful. And Justone was very honest.

My favorite of Justone's hearts:

It reads,

MOM:

she makes food

Now, scroll up and take another look at that chubby, darling, full-of-breastmilk baby. And then a look at the growing nine-year-old boy, who still appreciates a good meal. Probably will when he's home from college, visiting. And I'm sure his future wife will never be able to make a death-by-chocolate-cake that is as good as mine.

It's quite possible that Justone could have come up with other reasons he loves me.

MOM:

she has a college degree

and could probably get a job somewhere

but she wants to be at home when my sisters and I

come home from school.

MOM:

she has a great sense of humor

and likes to make us laugh.

MOM:

she plans the best family vacations

MOM:

she's very pro-active about my health

and well-being. If it weren't for her,

I'd still have a chronic sinus infection.

MOM:

among her other talents,

she can come up with great ways

to help us memorize our

spelling words.

But you know what? I'm really content with being loved because I make food.

After all, don't they say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?

*Note: AFTER the dance that we did not attend was over, I was relieved to discover that it wasn't all my dancing that was embarrassing. Only one specific dance. When Endeavor was trying to memorize all the states and capital cities earlier this year, she was having some trouble with Charleston, West Virginia. I did the Charleston for her, which made the capital city of West Virginia unforgettable for all my children. Justone explained that he was afraid I would do the Charleston at the mother-son dance. Because I'm like that, apparently. A dancing fool.

The Quote that Really Inspires Me:

"You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter. "What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside. "If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage"